'Bangladesh Now Run By Terror-Backed Radicals’: Sheikh Hasina Camp Reacts To Death Penalty Verdict

Last Updated:November 17, 2025, 15:08 IST

Sources close to Sheikh Hasina dismissed her death sentence as “fake” and politically driven, alleging Bangladesh has fallen into the hands of radicals backed by terror groups.

Students sit near a vandalised mural of Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (Photo: AFP)

Sources close to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday rejected the death sentence handed to her by the Crimes Tribunal, calling the ruling “fake, fabricated and one day justice."

They claimed that the proceedings lacked an evidentiary basis, saying, “No evidence is on record, and we are called for evidence verification."

According to them, the judgment “is not on legal lines."

The sources alleged that Bangladesh has been driven into instability since Hasina’s ouster during the 2024 student-led uprising, saying the “country is pushed towards complete radicalisation."

They added, “This country is in the hands of radicals who are supported by terror groups."

They also dismissed the credibility of the interim administration, saying that Bangladesh interim chief Muhammad Yunus is a “puppet and working accordingly."

Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 after being overthrown during the unrest that saw more than a thousand people killed according to international estimates, was sentenced in absentia for crimes against humanity and for the killing of several people during the protests.

The ruling is the most dramatic legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades and comes months ahead of parliamentary elections expected to be held in early February.

Hasina’s Awami League party has been barred from contesting, and it is feared that Monday’s verdict could stoke fresh unrest ahead of the vote.

The Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court located in the capital Dhaka, delivered the verdict amid tight security and in Hasina’s absence after she fled to India in August 2024.

Hasina got a life sentence under charges for crimes against humanity and the death sentence for the killing of several people during the uprising.

There was cheering and clapping in the court after the death sentence was pronounced.

The verdict can be appealed in the Supreme Court. However, Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters on the eve of the verdict that they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government took office with the Awami League’s participation.

Bangladesh is currently governed by an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.

While the country has remained mostly calm since August, political stability remains fragile.

Security remained tight across Dhaka and major cities on Monday, with paramilitary forces guarding key installations and the tribunal complex.

Authorities said they were prepared for any unrest following the verdict.

ALSO READ | ‘People Will Throw Tribunal’s Judgment In Bay Of Bengal’: Ex-Hasina Minister Slams ‘Kangaroo Court’

News world 'Bangladesh Now Run By Terror-Backed Radicals’: Sheikh Hasina Camp Reacts To Death Penalty Verdict

Read More